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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29097657">A Careless Mistake</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tommykaine/pseuds/Tommykaine'>Tommykaine</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The Touch of Wolfsbane [10]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Original Work</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Bisexual Male Character, Challenge Response, Elves, Fantastic Racism, Fantasy setting, Gen, Inspired by Roleplay/Roleplay Adaptation, Maritombola Challenge, Minor Violence, Non-Sexual Slavery, Slavery</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 13:02:33</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,191</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29097657</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tommykaine/pseuds/Tommykaine</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>A day in the life of the young half-elf Kannin, the humble servant of a noble elven household.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>No Romantic Relationship(s)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The Touch of Wolfsbane [10]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1647925</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>A Careless Mistake</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/ForgottenLoveSong/gifts">ForgottenLoveSong</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This was written for the Maritombola 11 challenge using the prompt "(an important part of the story must take place in a) storage room"</p><p>It's also inspired by a roleplay and loosely connected to other stories in the series "The Touch of Wolfsbane" here on AO3</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p>It was still early when Kannin woke up, the servants' room barely lit by the very first hint of dawn.</p><p>His sleep had been disturbed by a confusing dream in which he'd been running through the forest, as if escaping something. It wasn't really a nightmare, he hadn't been afraid in the dream, but he'd known he had to rush... though he couldn't recall the reason now that his eyes were open.</p><p>He groaned and rubbed his eyes, glancing at the still-sleeping figures of Mariel and Lothar. The house seemed to be silent, save from Mariel's loud snoring. There was no way he'd be able to go back to sleep, so he sighed and carefully slipped out of his blankets, getting up and stretching with a small groan before he went on to make the bed.</p><p>Heading outside to the latrine, he shivered as he took his first few steps in the courtyard. The grass under his feet was wet with morning dew, and there was a chilly breeze that gave him goosebumps. Wrapping his arms around his chest he shivered, wishing he'd put on clothes, but he hadn't wanted to wander around and make too much noise.</p><p>Small glowing insects were hovering around the plants of the garden, moving away as soon as he got close. He rushed to the latrine to do his business as quickly as possible and get back inside. Since he was the first to wake up, he could get a bath going and relax a little before Mariel and Lothar awakened.</p><p>As the half-elf rushed back towards the entrance, he spotted movement in a window from the corner of his eye and stopped, looking up and gasping when he saw that Filyn was looking out. The young elven girl blushed red, and Kannin immediately covered his privates with one hand, running back inside as quickly as possible. It was not unusual for a slave like him to be nude, but it was not a sight he should be showing to such a young elven maiden. Hopefully she would not tell that to her father, Vilnis, or else he was sure he would be getting a lashing for his carelessness.</p><p>Vilnis was normally a kind master. He did not beat him needlessly, he allowed him and the other two slaves to live in his house and in good conditions, he even taught him how to read and write on occasion even if such a thing was completely unnecessary for a simple half-elf like him.</p><p>Kannin did not remember a time where he hadn't been at his service. He wasn't sure of how he came to be there, if he'd been bought like Lothar or if he'd been given to him by Vilnis' warrior brother Tahlvin like Mariel. He did not remember his father or mother. He'd been raised by the other servants and by Vilnis's family, so they were almost like family to him.</p><p>Of course, he knew he was only a humble slave, and a half-blood one at that. Elves tolerated 'half-wits' like him – as Tahlvin preferred to call them – but they never were to forget their proper place. In fact, Tahlvin often complained to Vilnis that he was far too kind to Kannin and Mariel.</p><p>"They'll get ideas, Vil. They'll get entitled and unruly. You should be strict, remind them that they're only here to serve you and your family," he'd told him on one such occasion, glaring at Kannin as the half-elf silently filled his cup with wine. "If it weren't for the fact that humans live such short lives, we wouldn't even bother keeping their tainted lot around."</p><p>Lothar was the only human slave in the household, and he was quite old for his kind. Apparently, that was why half-elves were more often kept as slaves, though some particularly wealthy nobles had no problem buying new human slaves every fifty years or so, so that they would not be keeping any unsightly half-breeds anywhere close to their house.</p><p>The Gyssenddare household was not extraordinarily wealthy, but Vilnis was still a noble and they had quite a few luxuries. Such as, for example, heating and running water.</p><p>Filling the basin with water took long enough that Kannin could hear the other servants moving around, so he knew they'd woken up too. It was dawn by then, and enough light came from the window for him to not need to light up the lamps to bathe. He'd started scrubbing himself when Mariel came in.</p><p>The other half-elf frowned when she saw that he'd gotten in first.</p><p>"When did you wake up?" she asked, crossing her arms on her chest. Kannin couldn't help but glance at her breasts as they were pushed up by the gesture, feeling thankful that the water was covering his privates and too cloudy to see through it as a warm feeling rushed through his body, travelling down south.</p><p>"At the first light of sunrise," he replied, then grinned. "You snored as loudly as a troll, so you awakened me."</p><p>Mariel's face turned red and she glared at him, stomping her feet.</p><p>"You brute! I will spit in your breakfast."</p><p>Kannin only laughed and splashed her with some water, and she threw a towel in his face in response.</p><p>"Master Vilnis and mistress Amanis are leaving after lunch, so we'll need to prepare their carriage and carry their things," she reminded him, sitting down on a stool as she waited for her turn.</p><p>"You will be leaving with them, right?" Kannin asked, and Mariel nodded in response. It was to be expected, since Vilnis hadn't asked him to come and Lothar was too old to take care of most chores on his own. Kannin was pretty sure his back might not be able to handle carrying his master's baggage in and out of the carriage.</p><p>"Make sure Lothar doesn't break a hip or something, while I'm away," Mariel told him, sounding genuinely worried. Lothar and Kannin were almost the same age, but while Kannin was barely an adult it seemed that the human was closer to his demise every passing day. Kannin's face was smooth and had only a few scruffy dark hairs that he carefully shaved, while Lothar had a carefully-groomed white beard adorning a face full of wrinkles. Kannin had a full head of long brown hair, usually kept in a ponytail, while the top of Lothar's head was completely hairless.</p><p>Kannin still remembered back when they were both children, with Mariel running after them and scolding them every time they caused some mischief and made her life harder rather than helping her. By the time Lothar had grown into a young man, Kannin was barely tall enough to sit at the table with a normal chair. By the time Lothar was a tall, burly guy who made Mariel blush whenever he took off his shirt to do some particularly heavy work, Kannin had just started to discover that he too was not indifferent to the sight.</p><p>It had been weird to see him grow old so fast. Kannin had always known humans were fragile and lived very brief lives compared to elves and half-elves, but he hadn't quite realized the full extent of it until Lothar became old enough to struggle with his workload. Tahlvin's words made a lot more sense now that he'd been able to see it firsthand. No wonder even someone like him owned a half-breed slave.</p><p>After getting out of the bath and drying off, Kannin shaved his face and combed his hair, chatting with Mariel while she washed herself. Neither of them was particularly embarrassed about being nude, as it was normal for them. Half-elf slaves were not typically brought up with the same ideals of modesty and chastity as pureblood elves. Not that Lothar was particularly more modest, since he too grew up together with Kannin.</p><p>Once they both got out, he went back to glance inside their room while Mariel went to get dressed, and he saw that Lothar was still sitting on his own bed.</p><p>"Is everything alright, Lothar?" he asked, frowning.</p><p>"Ah... my back is giving me some trouble today. Could you please get me a soothing potion?" the old man politely asked, an apologetic smile on his face. "We'll be on our own today, so I can't have my back failing me during work."</p><p>"Sure thing. Just take it easy, I'll bring it to you and I'll help you wash yourself once I'm back. Wait for me here, okay?"</p><p>Since the potions were kept in the storage room, outside of their living quarters, Kannin went to open the large closet where they kept all of their clothing and started to dress himself, then put on a pair of slippers.</p><p>Once he got out of the servants' quarters, he made his way to the storage room as quickly as he could, but he did not run since he did not want to disturb his proprietors. He could hear Mariel working in the kitchen as he passed by it, preparing everyone's breakfast. They were all allowed to eat in the same room if there were no guests over, though of course the servants had a separate table.</p><p>He should not have been surprised to see Filyn awake, since he'd already seen her looking out from her window earlier. She was standing outside the kitchen and peeking in, still wearing her long nightgown. Her long blond hair was a little disheveled, and she didn't seem to have noticed him.</p><p>"Good morning, young mistress," Kannin greeted her, and she gasped and jumped up at the sound of his voice, turning around and blushing.</p><p>"H-hello Kannin," she said, smiling shily at him.</p><p>"Breakfast will be ready soon. Would you like me to set the table for you while you wait?"</p><p>"Will you keep me company?" she asked.</p><p>"I'm afraid I still need to take care of a few things before breakfast, but I'm sure your brother and your parents will join you soon."</p><p>"I'll come with you," she insisted, and Kannin smiled gently at her.</p><p>"It won't take long, I assure you. Lothar needs a little help now that he's grown older, it would not be appropriate for you to come along," he explained. "Please, take a seat in the dining room, or perhaps you could wake your brother so that he can keep you company."</p><p>He walked away, thinking that would do it, but Filyn followed him all the way into the storage room.</p><p>"My brother is always mean to me," she told him, wrinkling her nose and pouting. "I like your company better."</p><p>Kannin held back a sigh, moving towards the shelves where they kept the potions. Filyn was a young elf on the brink of adolescence, while her brother Lylan was almost old enough to be a full-fledged adult, though he still carried a certain immaturity that showed he was not quite ready to be one. Moreover, while Lylan was interested in fighting and outdoor sports such as archery and hunting, Filyn liked embroidering, flower arrangement, painting and reading, so they did not really have any interests in common. It was no wonder the two siblings did not get along too well.</p><p>"I am flattered, my lady, but I am also unfortunately quite busy," Kannin told her, glancing at her to give her an apologetic smile before turning his attention back to the vials of potions and other sorts of solutions on that shelf. "I would be happy to keep you company all day, but the house won't take care of itself. I can promise you that as soon as I'll have some time to spare today, I will be at your service."</p><p>"I don't mind if you're busy," she told him in her usual demure tone. She'd always been quite reserved, but somehow it seemed she'd become more shy than usual lately, especially around him. "I can keep you company too."</p><p>Kannin chuckled at that.</p><p>"You are very kind, but I'm sure it will be quite boring for you."</p><p>"I... I'm sure it won't."</p><p>Not finding the vial he needed on the lower shelves, he looked around and picked up a small ladder, placing it against the shelves before slowly and carefully climbing up on it. He idly thought of how poor Lothar would certainly not be able to climb up on it and get anything from the top shelves anymore. He wondered what would happen to him, once he could no longer be useful. A slave that could not do his or her job was useless, so... would Vilnis be kind enough to let him live there for his last years of his life? Would another servant take his place, and if so would it be another human, or a half-elf like he and Mariel? Surely their master would not let them take care of everything on their own, there was far too much to do and, in fact, it would not be bad to have more than another person to take care of it. Would it be an adult slave this time, or would he want another young slave to raise there so that they would last longer?</p><p>He was so absorbed in his thoughts and in his search for the potion that he didn't realize Filyn had moved so close to him that she was now standing next the ladder, in front of the shelves.</p><p>"What are you looking for?"</p><p>Her sudden voice startled him just as he was reaching for the right vial, so he accidentally knocked another one down and gasped as it almost hit Filyn, losing his balance and slipping, grasping again on the ladder by sheer dumb luck, which however caused it to slam against the shelves and cause more vials to fall down towards the young elven girl...</p><p>"FILYN!" he shouted, wanting her to move, but in less than an instant he knew that she was frozen there in fear, too scared to even call for help, so he acted purely on instinct.</p><p>Jumping down from the ladder he leaped on her, covering her body with his, holding her tightly against his chest and cushioning her head with one hand while his knees hit the hardwood floor hard enough to somehow feel numb and send flashes of white-hot pain through his body all at the same time, causing him to cry out loud. Though that was not the worst of it yet.</p><p>As the containers fell down from the shelves, a foul-smelling potion crashed on his hair, while a different vial hit his back, burning through his shirt and then searing his skin. Kannin groaned loudly in pain, feeling Filyn struggle and squeak in fear underneath him, but he held her even tighter until he was sure that the danger had passed, worried that some other unbalanced vials might fall just as he moved away from her.</p><p>"Kannin? Kannin!?"</p><p>He heard Mariel's voice coming closer, and then a loud gasp as she walked in just as he was getting up and away from Filyn, who slowly sat up while staring up at him with wide eyes, shaking like a leaf.</p><p>"Kannin! What happened?!"</p><p>"Kannin!" Filyn cried out, her blue eyes filling with tears. "K-Kannin I'm sorry! I-it was my fault... I... I'm sorry!"</p><p>"No..." Kannin forced himself to smile at her, through the acidic burn on his back still hurt as if someone kept pressing a piece of incandescent iron against his skin. "I should have been more careful. I'm sorry for pushing you like that, did I hurt you?"</p><p>"N-no, I..." Filyn vehemently shook her head, still trembling, though her expression changed from a fearful one to one of admiration. "You saved me..."</p><p>"Mistress Filyn, please move away, you may hurt yourself," Mariel told her, carefully helping her move away without stepping on any of the glass shards or spilled liquids scattered on the floor, guiding her towards the door. "Wait here for a second, I'll help Kannin."</p><p>She rushed back towards Kannin, helping him move away as well.</p><p>"Can you get up?" she asked, but Kannin only managed to stand up for a few moments before falling against her. "Ah, careful! There... let's get you somewhere safer, and I'll clean up this mess." She half-dragged him towards the opposite wall, close to the door, and helped him lie down on one side.</p><p>"I... I'll go call father!" Filyn said, rushing out before Mariel could stop her.</p><p>"Filyn no!" Kannin called after her, but too late.</p><p>"Filyn!" Mariel called out as well, biting her lip and seeming torn about leaving Kannin there to run after her.</p><p>"Please, go, before she wakes up the whole household," Kannin told her. "I'm fine... ah!" He realized he was still holding the soothing potion and handed it to her. "Lothar needed this. His back is hurting again. I... was supposed to help him bathe, but... the water is probably cold by now."</p><p>"I... alright, we'll worry about that later." Mariel put the vial in one of her pockets, then ran out to try and catch Filyn.</p><p>Finally letting out a loud sigh, Kannin rested his head against the cold floor. He wondered if master Vilnis would be angrier at him for scaring Filyn and putting her in danger, or for ruining so many potions. He was sure he would get a harsh scolding, if not a lashing, and he didn't know how he would be able to take care of the house if he couldn't even get up. Hopefully it was nothing that couldn't be solved quickly with a potion... assuming he didn't break exactly the one they would need.</p><p>Well, there was nothing he could do about that for the time being. He tried to get up again, but one of his knees was sending sharp jolts of pain every time he stretched out that leg and he couldn't put any weight on it without collapsing. So, he resolved to wait there and hope that, whatever punishment awaited him, it would not be too bad.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>By the time Mariel was back, Kannin had almost dozed off. He looked up as soon as she walked in, and froze in shock when he saw master Vilnis standing next to her. His heart raced as he saw him glance towards the mess on the floor, before turning again and striding towards him, crouching down in front of him.</p><p>"Filyn said you were injured," Vilnis said, his voice as deep and stern as usual.</p><p>Kannin lowered his gaze, his green eyes staring down at the ground.</p><p>"Yes, master. I am very sorry, I was inattentive and careless-"</p><p>"Filyn also said that you saved her," the tall elf interrupted him, his grey eyes scrutinizing him, as if he was trying to see right through him. "Is that the truth?"</p><p>"I... when I saw that she was in danger, I tried my best to keep her safe."</p><p>Vilnis remained in silence for a long while, glancing back to the spilled potions again before looking down at him.</p><p>"Look at me, Kannin."</p><p>Kannin reluctantly looked up, meeting his gaze. Much to his relief, Vilnis's expression had softened.</p><p>"You protected my family, and for that, I will not punish you for your carelessness. But I will not be so lenient a second time, is that clear?"</p><p>"Yes, master." Kannin was unable to hide the relief in his voice.</p><p>Vilnis leaned in closer and placing a hand on his shoulder, making him turn slightly to check on his back. He then sighed loudly, rubbing his own face with his hand.</p><p>"I will cancel my plans for travelling..."</p><p>"Master-" Kanning couldn't hold back from starting to protest, biting his tongue as Vilnis shot him a cold look.</p><p>"You are unable to work in this condition. Mariel tells me you cannot even stand on your own. I cannot leave the whole house and my children in the sole care of Lothar, so there is no choice."</p><p>Kannin looked down again.</p><p>"I am sorry."</p><p>Vilnis sighed again.</p><p>"There is nothing to be done. I do not want you to torment yourself needlessly over this." He touched Kannin's shoulder again, this time to give him a comforting squeeze. "Perhaps it is not such a bad thing. I was in no mood to visit Thersel anyway, though I would have preferred not to have such a messy excuse for it," he told him in a more cheerful tone, clearly trying to lighten the mood. "Next time he visits, you will be taking the blame for this."</p><p>Even if Vilnis wasn't yelling at him and wasn't planning on punishing him, Kannin still felt guilty and ashamed for inconveniencing his master in that way.</p><p>"Moreover, Filyn told me that she kept following you and bothering you even if you told her that you were busy. She is old enough to know she should not be bothering a servant so frivolously."</p><p>Vilnis stood up again, turning towards the door for a moment.</p><p>"Filyn!" he called out, and much to Kannin's surprise, the young elf walked in and stood next to her father, looking at Kannin with a mixture of concern and shame.</p><p>"Come here, and apologize to Kannin."</p><p>Kannin's green eyes stared up at him in shock.</p><p>"That's- that's not necessary..."</p><p>"That's not for you to decide." Vilnis cut him off, before placing one hand on Filyn's shoulder.</p><p>The girl was grasping on the hems of her dress, and she quickly nodded before moving in a bit closer to Kannin.</p><p>"I'm really sorry for bothering you and disturbing you during work! It was not right for me to do," she said, hesitating a little before adding, "and... thank you for saving me. You got hurt because you saved me," while flushing a little and tormenting the fabric of her dress.</p><p>"Alright, then. Mariel, help Kanning get back to your room and tell Lothar to medicate him before starting the rest of his duties. You will also be contacting Thersel to let him know I will not come, clean this room and make an inventary of the items that were ruined and will need to be purchased again, and then also continue with your duties. That will be all."</p><p>"Father, can I help Kannin too?" Filyn chimed in, much to everyone's surprise.</p><p>Vilnis chuckled in response. "Don't be foolish. That is a servant's job."</p><p>"But... he got hurt helping me."</p><p>"Filyn, you are very kind, but such a thing would be greatly inappropriate," Vilnis told her, before gently pushing her towards the door. "Come on, let us eat before your brother finishes all the breakfast by himself."</p><p>Filyn did not insist, but she did throw one last glance to Kannin, who smiled gently at her. He was not angry at her, really. He was glad she was not hurt. She was almost like a small sister to him, and he would never forgive himself if she got injured instead of him when he could have done something to stop it, especially when it was because of his lack of attention.</p><p>Once the two elves had left, Mariel helped him up and then slowly led him back to the servants' quarters.</p><p>"I am sorry for this... I really should have been more careful," Kannin told her, and she sighed.</p><p>"I know how Filyn is. I practically raised her. She should not have been in the storage room in the first place. She has no business being there."</p><p>"I should have been more firm, then. I didn't think she could get in danger. I don't know why she's been following me around everywhere lately."</p><p>Mariel let out a small noise between a snort and a chuckle, her lips spreading into a smug grin.</p><p>"You really are a half-wit."</p><p>"What's that supposed to mean?"</p><p>Mariel's grin only grew wider.</p><p>"If you don't understand it, then it's pointless to explain."</p><p>"Hey!"</p><p>They kept bickering all the way to their room, where Mariel took what was left of his shirt off of him and then helped him out of the rest of his clothes before making him lie down on his bed, lying on his belly since his back was wounded. Not that his knees were doing much better...</p><p>"I've still got some of that soothing potion," she said, pouring the liquid into a small glass and making him lift himself up for a moment so that he could drink it. "Just rest until Lothar comes. Don't give that poor old man too much grief. I'll bring you something to eat later, so, take it easy until then."</p><p>Kannin watched her walk out, resting his head against his pillow. His back still hurt but it was not as intense as before, and the pain kept getting duller as the potion did its magic. Maybe now he could relate more to Lothar's struggles with his perpetually sore back and joints, he thought, trying to find some humor in his current misery.</p><p>Closing his eyes, he let himself drift off to sleep as he waited, hoping that, this time, he would not be dreaming about that damn forest.</p><p> </p>
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